The above mentioned is the title of an article on the DrKoop.com internet site from Dec. 06, 2000 Reuters Health Information. The posting reports on research by Karen I. Plaisance, MD; Philip A. Mackowiak, MD published inside the Achieves of Internal Medicine. The essence of this article states that taking aspirin or similar drugs to reduce a fever will raise the length of the Flu.

For several years common practice was to treat the fever of a Flu by taking aspirin and lowering the fever. This new information has confirmed what chiropractors among others have been saying for many years. Fever is often a defense mechanism built to assist the body's immune system by raising body temperature.

The content was a overview of several studies. On this particular article it had been revealed that flu sufferers who took one of the anti-fever medications including aspirin, were sick typically 3.5 days longer than individuals who didn't take one of the drugs.

According to coauthor, Dr. Karen I. Plaisance, "The extra sick days might be a suitable trade-off for the relief they get from such medications". She continued, "Depending on what it is you need to get done ... you might be prepared to take that. Some busy people prefer to be somewhat sick a bit longer than be nearly wiped out for a shorter period."

In line with the report, the investigators discovered that anti-fever drugs like aspirin or Tylenol, prolonged the length of the flu. Normally, flu symptoms lasted 5.3 days in participants who didn't take aspirin or acetaminophen, in contrast to 8.8 days in individuals who took the anti-fever drugs. Even an analysis that took into consideration the seriousness of illness, the use of anti-fever drugs was still related to longer-lasting illness.

According to the authors the mechanism that links the drugs to prolonged flu symptoms is unclear. However, they certainly mention the chance that reducing fever may hinder the immune system responses to an infection. In other studies on reducing fever, similar findings were reported in cases of chickenpox.

The root message of such studies should report that disturbing the defense mechanisms of the body, such as fever, may reduce some symptoms but will prolong the time the body needs to fight off infections and illness.